Exhibitor's Trade Review (Mar-May 1925)

Page 34 Exhibitors Trade Review Sales News and Pers Dualities of the Week Mooney Adds Two Managers to Pro-Dis-Co Staff Two new members of the executive sales force of Producers Distributing Corporation are announced this week by Paul C. Mooney, who has appointed Louis Reichert as branch manager at Kansas City and Robert Mochrie as branch manager at Albany, N. Y. Louis Reichert needs no introduction to the film world. He started in the business away back in the early days of the General Film Company and has been active in the industry ever since. He was one of the heavy-weights in the old Realart organization, following which he took the Washington, D. C, office for Select. With the advent of the Selznick re-organization he was made Division Manager of the West Coast with headquarters at San Francisco. Robert Mochrie is a comparative newcomer in the industry who has already established a reputation on the sales force of Producers Distributing Corporation in the Toledo territory. His success as a salesman has won his appointment to a managership. Prior to entering the film game, Mr. Mochrie was with the U. S. Steel Corporation in New York City, working directly under the president of the company in handling steel products for export. Then he went overseas, serving two years in the artillery. Kansas City Another good week was reported among Kansas City exchanges last week. The Midwest Film Distributors, Inc., is elated over the fact that its entire first run output has been closed 100 per cent in all theatres of St. Joseph, Mo. C. F. Senning, Educational branch manager, again was out in the territory, as usual, while C. T. Lynch, Omaha Metro-Goldwyn branch manager, was a Kansas City visitor and a guest at the farewell dinner given G. A. Hickey, former district manager, who was transferred to the West Coast. Russell Borg, Educational booker, scratched his head and remembered that when he started with the company five years ago that he and a girl were the office force. Now there are eleven employees. L. B. Metzger, Universal branch manager, is telling every one that he meets that there are already 100 pledges for Laemmle Jubilee Week. C. A. Schultz, Vitagraph branch manager, is well satisfied with the number of contracts being turned in by his office force, while Lee Balsley, manager of Western Pictures Company, and C. W. Allen, assistant Vitagraph manager, were out in the territory plugging away, as was "Bob" Withers of the Enterprise office. Floyd Lewis, district manager of Associated Exhibitors, was forced to drop all work and return to the East to the bedside of his mother, who is ill. * * * Among the out-of-town exhibitors in the Kansas City market last week were : G. L. Hooper, Orpheum, Topeka, Kans. ; H. Staples, Rockport, Mo. ; Harry McClure, Strand, Emporia, Kans. ; C. M. Pattee, Pattee Theatre, Lawrence, Kans. ; F. G. Weary, Farris Theater, Richmond, Mo. ; S. E. Wilhoit, Jefferson, Springfield, Mo. ; Charles Sears, Sears Circuit, Nevada, Mo. $ $ $ The Credit Cleaiiiig House, a subsidiary committee of the Kansas City Film Board of Trade, is being organized. The corn, mittee will pass upon the credit of all new exhibitors, the legitimacy of all contracts and other matters pertaining to credit. Members of the Kansas City Metro-Goldwyn branch attended a farewell dinner at the Hotel Muehlebach Tuesday night for G. A. Hickey, former district manager who left the following day for the Pacific Coast, where he has been transferred by his company. * # * The following changes in management and new theatres in the Kansas City territory have been announced : New 300-seat theatre opened by F. O. Williams in Carl Junction, Mo. ; Opera House, Mound City, Kas., purchased by W. D. Bearce, manager of the People's theatre of the same town, from T. H. Lauck ; New Centre theatre, Fifteenth street and Troost avenue, Kansas City, purchased by W. Lee Vaugn, manager of the Art Theatre, Kansas City, Kas., from M. B. Shankman and Julius Blender. * ♦ 5k The following changes in the personnels of Kansas City exchanges have been announced : Louis Reichert, formerly with Selznick on the West Coast, has succeeded Charles Knickerbocker as branch manager of the Kansas City P. D. C. office ; Clyde E. Black from the West Coast has been added to the sales staff of Associated Exhibitors. Back From Sales Trip Mack D. Weinberger, sales manager of B. P. Schulberg Productions, returned to New York this week from an extended middle western trip. He arranged first runs in a number of key cities for the Schulberg special, "Capital Punishment." * * * Jaffe Selling Westerns Birmingham, Ala., March 23. — Ben Jaffe, Vice-President of the E. & H. Film Distributing Corporation, which is handling a long line of State Rights productions and special features, is in the field, working Georgia and Florida territory in connection witth 35 new five-reel Westerns. The home office reports that he is "knocking them cold." Philadelphia The new Strand Theatre, Atlantic City, opened March 21, and the entire P. D. C. sales force from Philadelphia, headed by Manager W. G. Humphries, attended the opening. Of course the feature was "Charley's Aunt." James F. Sharkey, formerly with Commonwealth Film Corporation, has joined the Producers Distributing Corporation sales staff and will handle the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre territory. Jim is an old timer in that neck of the woods having formerly been in the employ of Universal and Goldwyn. * * * Business must be good for the P. D. C. salesmen in Philly. E. M. Whaley has been able to afford a new car — and a new baby. The car is a Jordan and the baby is a girl. E. M. is on the top of the world — and so is his sales record. St. Louis Albert Dranke, manager of the St. Louis Vitagraph office, reports an almost universal interest in "Baree, Son of Kazan" throughout the St. Louis trade territory. Many of the leading papers in this section are running this story which was written by James Oliver Curwood and featuring Wolf the War Dog in serial form. ' Included in these papers are; The News Democrat, Belleville, III; Daily Breeze, Taylorville, 111.; Daily Republican, Poplar Bluff, Mo. ; Daily News. Robinson, 111. ; Western Sun, Vincennes, Ind. ; Republican Era, Murphysboro, 111. ; Morning Bulletin, Hatoon, 111.; News, Villa. Grove, 111.; State Register. Springfield, 111.; Evening Courier, Lincoln, 111. : Daily Beacon, Paris, 111. ; and the Ledger, Mexico, Mexico, Mo. The story has created considerable attention and built a nice patronage for the theatres that will show the picture in these cities. * * •* Tom McKean manager of the local F. B. O. office is visiting the key cities of Eastern and Northern Missouri. * * * Visitors of the week included : Bob Stempfle, St. Charles, Mo.; Albert Richards, De Luxe Theatre, Witt, 111. ; C. C. Calvin, Wash ington, Mo. ; William Doerge, Ste. Genevieve, ATo. ; and J. P. Macon of Rector, Ark. * * * Hughes Back at Pittsburgh M. C. Hughes, who has been ill for the last few months, has resumed his duties as branch manager at the Paramount Pittsburgh exchange. R. Neil, who was acting branch manager during the absence of Mr. Hughes, will remain at the Pittsburgh exchange as assistant to the manager. * * * De Frenne 111 in Louisville In Louisville, W. F. De Frenne, owing to illness, has been temporarily relieved from the duties of branch manager by W. J. Clark. Albany Albany, March 23. — Charles Stonibaugh, manager of the Pathe exchange in Albany, N. Y., has been elected treasurer of the Albany Film Board of Trade, succeeding Frank S. Hopkins, who recently resigned as manager, of the Producers' Distributing Corporation's exchange, and thus became ineligible to membership on the Board of Trade. Mr. Stombaugh came to Albany about a year ago from Minneapolis and has been prominently identified with many of the activities of the Film Board. The State Theatre, Schenectady, is this week showing "Captain Blood," and playing to capacity, which is rather unusual for a big picture during the Lenten season. * * * Oscar Perrin has bought "The Redeeming Sin" for his Albany Theatre, and also for his Glens Falls house. He is playing "School For Wives" during the month of April in his Empire Theatre, Glens Falls.